CECILIA BARTOLIMission

Werke von / Works byAgostino Steffani

I BarocchistiDiego Fasolis

Int. Release 26 Nov. 2012

1 DVD-Video

0440 074 3604 2 DVD-VIDEO NTSC GH

Filmed within the exquisite interiors of the Château de Versailles -- the palace of Louis XIV, the Sun King, before whom the 25-year-old Steffani performed in 1679 -- Olivier Simonnet's cinematographic vision features Cecilia in dazzling performances of many of the world premiere recordings featured on the CD.

. . . [an] elegant movie . . . filmed in the magnificent Chateau de Versailles . . . all beautifully photographed. Bartoli offers a collection of arias from various operas by Steffani, sung with her usual virtuoso style, with baroque accompaniment by the fine I Barocchisti directed by Diego Fasolis . . . this is a class production sure to delight Bartoli's legion of fans.

Record Review /
R.E.B.,
Classicalcdreview.com / 22. February 2013

Here is an irresistible opportunity to sample the operatic output of Agostino Steffani under luxurious conditions . . . Steffani's stylistic range and his vivid capacity to differentiate mood never flag . . . [Bartoli's and Jaroussky's] passionate delivery, clockwork counterpoint and echoing trills make their duets the supreme highlights here. In twenty excerpts from nine operas and one cantata, Bartoli's affection for the music is palpable, especially in her opulent cantabile line, with its spontaneous-seeming ornamentation, feather-light undulations and limitless shading.